Hello, For the past year or so I've been editing a new Handbook of Gallatin County History. I'm getting close to sending it to the publisher, but I need some feedback from you fine folks on the Gallatin County mailing list. Basically, I need feedback to gauge the level of interest in the book itself, but also whether you demand a hardback book or a paperback. The big difference of course will be in price. The new Handbook of Gallatin County History is a compilation of mostly 19th and early 20th century sources on Gallatin County. In other words you're reading the biography your ancestor wrote probably in his own words and syntax. Specifically, here's what's included: --- the complete version of the 1887 History of Gallatin County as published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in their five-county history of southeastern Illinois. Everything's included as in the original, with the only changes of additional section headings and paragraph breaks as desperately needed. Not only are the original footnotes still there, but also new ones noting any corrections or addition comments as needed. --- Miscellaneous Anecdotes of Early Gallatin County -- a collection of writings on everything from the early saltworks to a sketch of the 1891 grand jury. --- Military History of Gallatin County --- a collection of writings on the military actions of Gallatin County residents from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War with a special focus on the frontier Indian battles in southeastern Illinois during the decade that centered around the War of 1812 as well as some of the actions taking place in the county during the Civil War. Also included will be complete rosters (as best as can be determined) of Gallatin County soldiers in the Black War, Mexican, Civil and Spanish-American Wars. --- Gallatin County Biographies --- More than 250 biographies will be included here pulled from the 1876 State Atlas of Illinois, the 1883 History of White County (which included chapters on the northern two townships of Gallatin), the 1887 History of Gallatin County, the 1905 Memoirs of the Lower Ohio Valley and the 1912 History of Southern Illinois. Also included are a handful of other miscellaneous biographies from a scattering of sources. Plus... and probably most important of all to researchers... a full name and subject listing Index in the back of book. Every name is listed, women twice many times, once under their married name and again under their maiden name (if known). In addition to the new annotated footnotes in the 1887 history portion, all the stories included in the Anecdotes and Military History are printed verbatim from the original source and are footnoted with the source. The idea has been to take all the good stories and original source material that's scattered and put it into one volume. The reprint of the 1883 History of White County costs $90, and it's another $16 just to get an index. My idea is to make the new Handbook of Gallatin County much more affordable. I don't have the final price yet because it's still up in the air how many will be printed. Also, the page count keeps rising. The final publication should be at least 520 pages trimmed to a 5 1/2" by 8 1/2" size, which is a standard trade size. That's the same size as the White County history and the 1947 History of Saline County. It's the same size as a Boy Scout Handbook. The final retail price will probably be between $20 and $22 for a paperback and $40-45 for a hardback. Pre-orders will most likely be taken at 20 percent off of the cover price. The cover is a full-color cover with a striking picture of the State Bank of Illinois building in Shawneetown taken during the Depression. The hardback would show the cover on a dust-jacket. The book will be bound like a normal book. No plastic, no spirals, no rings. My question to you folks is whether this is something that interests you, and would you be more inclined to buy a paperback version (which will be more affordable) or the hardback version (which will be more durable) knowing you'll want to keep it for years to come. I need feedback, but everyone probably doesn't want to read about everyone else's feedback, so please send comments back directly to me rather than the list. Sincerely, Jon Musgrave ILGallat-L List Administrator Gallatin County ILGenWeb Coordinator www.IllinoisHistory.com